


nct, we the dream chaser, uh

by bystander



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Drabble Collection, First Love, Gen, M/M, Markhyuck Summer Fight of 2017 (NCT), Non-Linear Narrative, this is what we do in quarantine ladies!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23447326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bystander/pseuds/bystander
Summary: first love is bittersweet and irresistible.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	1. haechan aegyo compilation...markly explain

donghyuck is bored. he is not the type to ride out waves of restlessness on his own, so he bangs out of his room to bother one of his hyungs.

it’s still kind of earth shattering when donghyuck bursts in mark’s room and catches him watching an aegyo compilation. to be specific, it’s of a certain group, that happens to be nct, of a certain member, that happens to be called haechan.

it plays like a scratch record freeze frame. stop. you’re probably wondering how i got here.

donghyuck recovers before the silence gets awkward. “hyung,” says donghyuck, sweet. “you really like me, huh?”

mark’s red from his ears down his neck. donghyuck knows mark is the type to blush through his whole chest. donghyuck wants to slide his hands under mark’s shirt and feel where it spreads. he’s so cute.

“it was in my recommended,” protests mark weakly. the video is still full-screen on his laptop. mark is frozen as the video plays through haechan do the yam yam song on weekly idol. both versions, actually. donghyuck wonders why mark hasn’t thought to pause it.

donghyuck hums. true or not, the end result is the definitive click.

“ah, hyung,” grins donghyuck. he doesn’t want to give his hyung too hard a time, but it’s objectively hilarious. his stomach bottoms out and he feels his insides pull through his throat. hilarious. he’s not laughing yet, though. “if you want to see cute, why not ask the real thing?”

mark has never been subtle about finding donghyuck cute. his face splits open with a smile that doesn’t leave the entire and many times donghyuck unleashes aegyo. his eyes drip honey and don’t waver for a second. he actively asks for more.

that’s different, because that’s for schedules. that’s persona, that’s haechan.

mark’s ears glow unsaturated primary red. donghyuck is so, so hungry.


	2. (love is a bit difficult)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the kind of summer that gets away from you

“you know, when i was a trainee i asked God every night the first few months if you were put in sm to test me,” remarks mark. “i used to think about quitting.”

they’re panting from their pickup one on one basketball game, simple t-shirts and athletic shorts sticking with sweat against their legs. the blacktop is scorching underneath them. it’s summer and donghyuck is eighteen.

“interesting,” says donghyuck. he bats his lashes. “but then you fell for my charms and now you can’t live without me, huh?”

they’re on break, in between comebacks for what seems like the first time in forever. the sun streams in hot bursts; the wind is gentle and the grass is itchy but it’s vivid green like out of an indie movie. the chain-link fence they lean their backs on smells rusty and familiar.

mark smiles helplessly, like he can’t do anything else. mark looks boyish and handsome, a dream in a dream. he looks-looked-like donghyuck’s first love. not bad, huh?

“donghyuck-ah,” says mark. he’s already slipping away. “let’s be together for a long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nct dream's bye my first inspired
> 
> "It's whatever, so so  
> I guess this is it  
> I wanted to do better  
> I still don't know  
> I've only went this far  
> (Love is a little hard)"


	3. regular, huh?

donghyuck is a person that has a lot of live to give by nature. he likes kissing his hyungs and wrapping himself around his friends, burrowing his nose into necks, propping his legs over thighs. the members only indulge him only half the time, but he likes that he can get away with a lot more than what anyone thinks twenty-something year old men would allow.

he’s annoyed because he knows who mark lee is — he farts too often and hogs watermelon and laughs like a seal. he hates that he knows this but still knows that mark lee is nothing if not the kind of boy you fall in love with, head first, without being able to help it. mark lee is stupid and crazy handsome and donghyuck wants to eat his mouth.

still. fifteen-year-old donghyuck would be mortified.

“what are you doing?” asks johnny.

donghyuck pauses from where he’s mutilating his jjangjjangmyeon.

“hey, hyung,” says donghyuck. he’s debating about saying something. after only thinking about it a little, he figures it’s fine because johnny’s cool like that. “what if i wanted to kiss you? would that be weird?”

true to form, johnny is unfazed, only blinking a little owlishly. “well,” he says. “do you?”

donghyuck takes a second to think about it. of course he wants to kiss johnny, but in the way he wants to kiss his hyungs because he loves them, and they’re handsome and treat him well. johnny, in particular, is tall and has that ease in his skin and rough charm donghyuck can completely understand why his fans like.

that’s not what they’re talking about, though.

donghyuck sighs, a sad little wheeze of a sound. he picks up some noodles with his chopsticks, but they’re only inches long from where he’s hacked them. “not really, i guess,” he says.

johnny tugs on donghyuck’s ear from beside him. they’re sitting together at the dining table in the kitchen. the dorm auntie cooks them food beforehand and they all wander out of their rooms whenever they’re hungry to reheat lunch for themselves. donghyuck always ends up eating with johnny or doyoung the most.

johnny hums. “any reason in particular, or are you just testing your luck? hormones really are rough at your age.”

donghyuck taps his fingers against the wood. “maybe. there’s a boy.”

“head up, kid,” says johnny. he slurps up noodles with his free hand. “whoever it is, you’re lee haechan. it’ll work out.”

it’d be so easy to believe him, because johnny is casual in taking it like common sense that donghyuck is irresistible to anyone he sets his sights on. donghyuck smiles. he values the easy faith johnny puts in him a lot more than likes to think about.

donghyuck tugs johnny’s legs open. johnny raises an eyebrow, like, really, while i’m eating? but johnny relents because he’s the kind of hyung that spoils his dongsaengs. donghyuck doesn’t hide his grin when he tumbles into johnny’s lap and wraps his arms around johnny, like a backpack from the front.

“you want me to starve, i guess,” says johnny, placing a hand on donghyuck’s head.

“it’s mark,” cuts in donghyuck.

johnny’s hand stills.

donghyuck unhooks his chin from johnny’s shoulder, pushes his forehead against johnny’s instead. johnny’s eyes are a whirl of activity. donghyuck can physically hear him think. he’s frowning.

“well?” prompts donghyuck.

“oh,” says johnny. he’s the type that only shows expressions he wants to on his face, and he’s using that skill now. he grips donghyuck by the chin and gently guides him back. “that explains a lot.” 

donghyuck tells johnny because he’s reliable and has perspective that extra five years gives him. he’s grounded and mature, but donghyuck wonders what to do if even he is troubled.

donghyuck huffs. “do you feel sorry for me, hyung?” he asks. he claps johnny’s cheeks. johnny’s eyes flick up. “play games with me today to make up for it.”

johnny smiles a small smile. there are lines on his brow he hasn’t consciously chosen to smooth out. it makes him look honest. he pushes donghyuck’s head down and grinds his fist into it.

“ah, hyung!” whines donghyuck into johnny’s armpit.

“sure, haech,” says johnny, but at least he definitely sounds amused. “we have a lot to talk about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> johnny doesn't get paid for hyung duties...tragic


	4. tension

“donghyuck,” says mark. “you can’t be like this.”

donghyuck shrugs, pulling his finger out of his mouth with a wet pop. "the fans like it,” he says. “if you don’t want to, it’s fine, but our seasonies will be sad.”

mark gives a helpless sort of look, eyebrows bunched precariously together. “you can’t pull that card,” he says. that usually is enough to make him cave; he’s not even trying to play along. again, thinks donghyuck, angry, despite everything, he won’t even give me this. “donghyuck. I’m serious.”

donghyuck gives a half smile, tuggling loose a strand of hair that the stylist noonas had furiously gelled away from his face. “it’s been a while,” he says instead. “since you’ve called me donghyuck.”

mark flushes and his eyes flash. “haechan,” he says, voice gone flat. when they were trainees, staying up late to practice together on the weekends, they’d crack open a can of soda. they’d always race to chug the rest of the drink they’d opened together before they’d returned to the dorms. mark’s voice sounds like that. it sounds like a taunt.

donghyuck shrugs. “anything you want, hyung,” he says, but he’s thinking about how he hasn’t seen the dreamies for a week and he has around five missed calls from his mother he’s avoided after being busy with year-end schedules. he sees mark every day but it feels like they haven’t had a conversation for a lot longer than that. 

his hand twitches at his side, itching to smooth out the wrinkles from mark’s forehead. but he doubts mark would welcome the touch. he tucks them in the pocket of his shorts instead. “anything you want.”


	5. snap

maybe it was inevitable something was going to snap. between comebacks, we young and firetruck both, they’ve sapped their good will, the camera bleeding them dry. what’s left, instead of peace, is short tempers and exhaustion. donghyuck doesn’t help; mark is more forgiving with his troublemaking dongsaeng, but he’s stretched so thin he doesn’t bend where he usually does. 

donghyuck bends him anyway; he can feel the explosion coming, but he can’t stop himself prodding at mark. like a bruise he knows will hurt, but can’t stop aggravating, if only to feel the pain. if you’re gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. this usually doesn’t work well for him. it doesn’t work this time either.

the end of the beginning is like this. donghyuck sidles up to mark, after ten hours of back to back schedules, and squeezes into mark’s space, settling himself on the other. mark is tense; donghyuck can feel it by how stiffly he’s holding himself, the clench in his jaw. 

donghyuck does what he does best. he pushes. 

mark doesn’t give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some ppl be obsessed w markhyuck summer fight. it's me. i'm obsessed w markhyuck summer fight


	6. rivalry

  
donghyuck is starting to hate the haechan that loves mark lee.

if he had to say why, it’s because he knows he is. donghyuck is carefree, but that’s because he’s got such a firm grip on himself he can afford the leeway. donghyuck is primal in his ambitions. if he wants, he slicks his teeth and bites.

so who is lee donghyuck? easy. he’s someone that puts himself first. that means his job. that means his own self-interest.

so where does that leave mark lee? easy. donghyuck can pretend he doesn’t know, but mark isn’t sm’s ace for nothing. 

he doesn’t lose.

//

the problem isn’t that he has to worry about mark loving him back. they love each other freely, unconditionally, stars crash into each other kind. it took teeth being ground to dust and hate and anger and blood, but donghyuck is good at pushing until he gets what he wants. and now mark lee is his best friend and living in each other’s pockets feels like home. how’s that for results?

donghyuck is certain that if he wanted, he could make mark be in (!) love with him too. that’s just the kind of boy lee haechan is. he definitely could. he just wonders if it would be genuine.


End file.
